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Saturday, December 10, 2011

dog ordinance

What is my favorite dog treat ever ? Dehydrated liver from My Pet Carnivore. It's liver, so dogs absolutely love it. It's dried so its easy to handle, breaks into small bits and lasts. Also it's easy to store. Dogs can really smell it, if the dog knows you've got this in your training pouch they are going to try to figure out what they've got to do to get it. The liver treats are just that, Liver. No other ingredients. Simple. I love that in a treat.

I often run into people who say "My dog just doesn't respond to treats when we are out.". When I here this I usually ask them what kind of treats they are using. "Oh, I don't know. She is just too distracted here."
"Try liver" is usually my response "or small chunks of chicken." Dried liver makes treating with liver easy and its still really rewarding for the dogs. Remember when you begin to train your dog to do something having high value treats or a high value toy is an important step to success.

I just updated the bonus bones box on the right side of the blog and made mention that the bones came from local meat market Nelson's. Click the link to check them out. They also make a ground bone in chicken and turkey raw dog food mix that you can buy bagged in small 1-3lb bags. Very convenient.

Adoptables!

Remember the border collie I transported to rescue? He's having a great time in his foster home and now up for adoption! You can see his bio and video here.

Also, I spent some time volunteering at the cedar rapids animal shelter today! I practically had to hit myself over the head with a frying pan to keep from adopting Eddie a 2 year old cattle dog mix with lots of energy and personality. This is a smart dog looking for a smart person who loves to be active. Eddie is affectionate and housebroken. This exuberant dog would be great for trick training, frisbie, fetch, flyball or agility. Eddie is potty trained, loves to play fetch and knows a few commands. Eddie needs to be taught some manners as he can be a little mouthy and might not be the right fit for a home with young children. With some training and a consistent loving home, this could be the smartest most well behaved dog on the block!

I also hung out with chocolate brown Noah. (his picture on the petfinder makes him look orange. He is more the color of a chocolate lab) CRAC describes him as "very calm". I think he fooled them! Likely he was calm as he was getting used to shelter life which can be very intimidating to some dogs. When I entered Noah's kennel he was throwing himself in the air at me excited to get some attention! This dog would likely be a calm boy in a home environment after a few rousing games of fetch and a walk. Noah loved playing fetch. He clearly knew the game and brought the ball back and looked at me. When he dropped the ball I threw another ball and the game continued. Noah was obsessively biting the leash when I took him out of his kennel. On the return to the kennel I brought a rope toy and enticed him with it. Noah carried the toy with him the entire walk back to the kennel instead of obsessively chewing and pulling the leash. Success! While Noah currently has some mouthing issues this could easily be turned around with some positive training. This is a sweet and trainable dog.
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This morning I woke up late. I had to be to work early. I needed to get into the shower and go go go! What to do about doggy breakfast?
KONGS!
I try to keep a set of frozen meals in Kongs for the boys in just these circumstances. Each Kong had beef, carrots, green beans, gravy and was sealed with peanut butter. So the boys dined on Kongs while I hit the shower. Bonus! The Kong keeps them busy for about 30 minutes.
So it's not just a meal, it's an activity.

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Did you know?

I do NOT brush my dogs teeth. The raw meaty bones the dogs chew help keep their teeth clean and breath fresh.

Hi! My name is Jeni.

I've been blogging since May of 2011 and writing for enjoyment or self expression since I learned how. I have been learning about animal behavoir since 2008. It all started as volunteering with homeless dogs and grew into so much more. Thanks for reading!

Rescue Spotlight

Protege Canine Rescue has a great reputation of adoption success. The hard working volunteers share their homes with a foster dog and provide a solid foundation from which a successful transition to a new home can be made. Check out the available dogs!

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All animals in my house have been adopted. You can find a wonderful companion, active working or sporting dog, therapy or family dog at your local shelter or rescue.Please consider adoption as your first option!